THE VERDICT

Sancerre made up about a third of the samples here, and was the clear star of the tasting, while judges also praised Touraine for wine lovers on a tighter budget. Amy Wislocki reports

Growers in the Loire Valley have enjoyed a string of good vintages, but tasters arrived with a degree of trepidation about the 2018 wines – happily unfounded, it transpired.

‘It was a hot vintage, and there were some high alcohols, so I did have a question mark over the freshness of the wines,’ said Jim Budd. ‘But with one or two exceptions, the wines did show freshness, even though there was clearly a richness there.’

‘At the very least I was expecting the 2018s to be a mixed bag,’ said Chris Kissack, ‘with some showing flabbiness, excessive ripeness and low acidity. But the opposite was true, and most showed good freshness and good acidity. As for the other vintages, 2019 was as I expected (fruit-rich and ripe) and 2017 also (acid-defined).’

Sancerre was the undoubted star performer, with its far higher cost for vineyard land reflected in the inherent superiority of the wines, as Rebecca Gibb MW confirmed. ‘They were superior in terms of concentration, class, elegance and texture, and had a lovely harmony and phenolic character,’ she added. ‘The PouillyFumés were far more mixed in quality.’

Budd pointed out that Sancerre is often ready to drink earlier than Pouilly-Fumé and can be more vibrant. That said, he felt the 2019 Sancerres need a little more time in bottle to show at their best, even just a few months longer. He was optimistic about the vintage’s potential for longevity, and all tasters encouraged readers to try these wines with age.

‘It’s a question of whether you want young, fresh and fruity, or a more complex and evolved style,’ said Budd. ‘Younger wines are better as aperitifs, while the older ones work brilliantly with food. They become rounder, softer and more vegetal with age – that’s vegetal in an attractive way.’

Gibb was in agreement: ‘Everyone thinks Sauvignon Blanc is a fresh, fruity, drink-early style and I find that really frustrating,’ she said. ‘These wines stay alive. They have inherent acidity and if they have enough concentration, they can go the long haul, developing a honeyed, toasty, limey, almost Semillon-like character. Whether the warm-vintage 2018s will develop like that remains to be seen.’

The best place to look for wines at the cheaper end of the spectrum, to drink over the next few years, is Touraine, agreed our panel. ‘There are lots of talented young producers there, because land is affordable,’ explained Gibb. ‘There’s lots of exciting stuff happening there – you just need to find the right producer, and you can get real value for money.’

There weren’t many submissions from Menetou-Salon, Quincy or

‘Sancerre was superior in terms of class, elegance and texture’

Rebecca Gibb MW

Reuilly, but what there was impressed, said Kissack. ‘I found good typicity in these wines,’ he said. ‘Quincy had velvety, creamy fruit; Reuilly showed vivacious, limestone-derived freshness.’

‘Quincy and Reuilly tend to have less complexity than Sancerre, though Quincy can take on weight after time in bottle,’ observed Budd. ‘The overall standard is best in Sancerre though, partly as it’s the best equipped technologically – this means that growers are best geared up to deal with hot vintages like 2018.’

If you like a sense of place in your wines, the Loire is the place to come for Sauvignon Blanc, concluded Kissack. ‘Loire and New Zealand are the only two regions that have a level of fame for this grape. New Zealand clearly has stronger varietal expression.

‘But in the Loire you’re getting a terroir-driven, mineral style that rewards exploration.’

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest- release Sauvignon Blanc wines from specified regions of the Loire Valley, priced from £7.50 in the UK